I am not sure who has more trouble sleeping on Christmas Eve – me or my three girls. After resisting the temptation to go ahead and give them all of their gifts early, I lay in bed imagining how delighted they are going to be the next morning.
And when my daughters get up, they do not disappoint. Though they may start out sitting in sleepy-eyed wonder, it does not take them long to wipe the sleep from their eyes and dig in. Tearing through wrapping paper. Turning stockings upside down to make sure they get out every single teeny-tiny thing.
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I blew it as a mom on Thanksgiving morning. All my daughter wanted was for me to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade with her. But I had other things to get done, and the parade was not on my agenda. With a huffy and unpleasant attitude, I joined her in front of the TV. Her bouncy excitement immediately turned to silence while she sat by herself on the couch. I realized how I had squashed her enthusiasm, and all I wanted to do was shout “Do over!”
Remember do overs? As a kid, my friends and I would yell “do over!”
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“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT
As someone who likes to see things get done quickly, I’m not always the most patient person. And I have to admit; I don’t always appreciate the start of something, no matter how great it turns out in the end. Sometimes, when I set out to reach a goal, I forget that the journey and the steps it takes to get there are just as important, and that beginnings truly are worth celebrating. Like watching my kids reach milestones as they’ve gotten older…
When my son and daughter started walking, I didn’t wait until they could make it from one end of the room to the other to get excited.
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When Dean and I were dating and first married, our holidays were spent putting hundreds of miles on our cars as we drove to where his family lived for a couple days, journeyed an hour and a half to my family’s Christmas Eve gathering and back, and then spent time with some of his family before making the trek back home.
After we moved to the Northwest for seminary, we added plane travel to the itinerary, often driving an additional five hundred miles or more to make sure we got to visit as many people as we could. There was a lot of hurrying and scurrying, and not much in the way of peace or rest.
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You’re praying that this year will be different. You are anxious to see most of your family, but there is always that one person who gets under your skin and deprives you each and every year of the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving that you can only dream about.
It’s true in every family.
The sister who always seems to be critical and competing.
The aunt married to your mother’s brother who continually tells you how to raise your children.
The grandparent who insists on telling the same unpleasant story every holiday.
The child who complains and won’t eat anything on the table.
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Though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:24 NIV
“Spencer! Spencer!” Amy called around the house looking for her son. Hearing stumbling from above, she walked to the stairs. On the top stair was Spencer – seizing. In distress, he had been searching for his mother. He knew she would help him through this storm. Like a dance they rehearsed, each knew their parts – neither chose them. His head drawn, voice gone, and arm jerking; he tried to take a step.
And fell – into the arms of his mother.
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I’ve been exhausted lately as I’ve been pulled in so many different directions. Working full time, staying up late, getting up early, helping with homework, shopping, menu planning, house cleaning (well not really, I’m too tired), juggling finances, ministry and relationships. There just never seems to be enough time in my day to do it all. I find myself getting further and further behind and it appears that I will never catch up. Not to mention I’ve had a headache for three days. My kids need my attention, but I can barely move. My house needs my attention, but I have no motivation.
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But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. – 1 Timothy 6:6-7
“If only we lived near ski slopes again, then I could be a professional skier,” said my son, presenting a fair argument for packing up and moving back to the cold.
I didn’t want to dash his hopes by being utterly logical; instead, I explained that this is the location where God currently has our family. The best place to be, no matter if it goes against your wishes, is where God puts you.
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